Last month’s controversy between Mayor Pedro Segarra and the city’s board of education over the selection of a schools superintendent has largely blown over.

But another issue at play at the time was Segarra’s relationship with School Superintendent Steven Adamowski. Segarra questioned the school board’s awarding of roughly $2.7 million in bonuses and wrote Adamowski a letter. Adamowski never wrote a formal reply, responding instead through the press, and that ticked Segarra off good.

Now, a release of emails between Adamowski and his communications director David Medina shed a little light as it opens a small window into the communications strategy of the Hartford Public Schools.

Specifically, the emails show that:

1) Adamowski’s lack of a formal response was intentional;

2) That Medina advised Adamowski to address a letter to Segarra “in the form of a return letter,” but Adamowski declined;

3) That Medina advised Adamowski not to be “confrontational with the mayor at this time”;

4) That Medina advised Adamowski to “show some sympathy for the position he’s facing budgetarily. Stroke him a little.”;